K-Pop

La estrella del K-pop Park Boram ha muerto y varios medios de comunicación coreanos informan que su fallecimiento se produjo tras una noche de copas con sus amigos.

Según el Korea Herald, la cantante murió el jueves en un hospital, pero primero se habría derrumbado mientras estaba en la casa de un amigo y podría haber sufrido un paro cardíaco, aunque la causa exacta de muerte aún está bajo investigación.

Otro informe, de AllKPop, dice que uno de los amigos de Park la encontró inconsciente y encorvada sobre el lavabo de un baño y uno de sus amigos le realizó una reanimación cardiopulmonar (RCP) para tratar de revivirla.

The NBA has a new partner ... and it's none other than K-pop group LE SSERAFIM!!

Adam Silver's organization announced the big collaboration this week ... saying the quintet of musicians will headline the NBA's celeb and influencer operation in Asia.

The Association hopes the group's popularity will help expand its fanbase overseas ... similar to what it did when it enlisted BTS' Suga as an ambassador.

It seemed like a pretty "Smart" move -- especially considering Chaewon, Yunjin, Sakura, Kazuha and Eunchae are quite the hoop heads.

In fact, the group hit up a Laker game in customized jerseys back in November ... and briefly got to meet NBA legend Magic Johnson during their time at Crypto.com Arena.

The ladies also took a break from promoting their new project, "Easy," to tune in to the All-Star Game from a cellphone in February ... and recently posted a video of them showing off their choreography while decked out in numerous teams' merch.

With the collab, it's safe to say fans will see a lot more of LE SSERAFIM at games in the future ... and they can expect a ton of new content on socials.

The group made its debut in 2022 ... and has exploded in popularity ever since.

Fernando Tatis Jr. had some solid pump-up music as he prepared for his game against the Dodgers on Thursday ... casually stretching just feet away from K-pop group (G)I-dle's pregame show!!

The San Diego Padres superstar was spotted limbering up prior to Game 2 of the MLB Seoul Series at Gocheok Sky Dome ... and just like the day prior with aespa, the host city booked a big-name act to get the crowd ready for the contest.

Soyeon, Minnie, Miyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua made their way onto the field to belt out some tunes prior to the Dodgers vs. Padres game ... doing renditions of "Super Lady," "Tomboy" and "Queencard."

Tatis Jr. had the best seat in the house for the 10-minute set ... and he didn't seem to mind one bit that there was a full-blown concert going on right in front of him.

Perhaps the music helped ... 'cause FTJ had a much better outing on Thursday ... going 2-4 with two runs and an RBI.

As for (G)I-dle, it also marked the first time since member Shuhua rejoined the group after a month-long hiatus to focus on her health ... so it was quite the special day for Neverland all around.

It appears IShowSpeed needs to brush up on his K-pop knowledge ... 'cause the popular gamer and YouTuber recently referred to Stray Kids member Bang Chan as "BTS" -- and the whole awkward moment played out in front of thousands of viewers.

18-year-old Speed -- who has tens of millions of followers across all platforms -- was scrolling through videos on his phone as his loyal fanbase tuned in to the stream earlier this week ... when he stumbled upon a clip of the popular group's leader discussing his admiration for the internet superstar.

"Speed is so funny," Chan said in the vid ... adding he has "mad respect for him."

"I feel like the effort he puts out to what he does is just phenomenal. I think it's just really, really cool."

Chan even revealed he watches Speed's vids with fellow groupmate Felix "all the time."

Speed was understandably pumped about the shoutout ... and asked those watching if Chan was a member of BTS before tracking down his Instagram page.

Speed then slid into the DMs ... leaving him a personal video as a "thank you" for the kind words.

"Yo brother Bang Chan, BTS, bro. I just seen the video that said you was a big fan of me, bro," Speed said ... also including some words of encouragement to "keep grinding."

Despite several people in the chat trying to correct Speed on his flub -- and the fact Chan clearly lists "Stray Kids" in his bio -- it was too late ... and he hit "send" on the video message.

STAY (the group's fanbase) quickly got wind of the mistake ... making jokes about Speed's confusion and how Chan would react to it.

Others didn't take it lightly ... pointing out the fact Speed assumed Chan was a member of BTS could be considered racist.

While BTS is undoubtedly the most famous male K-pop group to crack into massive mainstream success in the States, Stray Kids has gained momentum in their own right ... even performing at the Billboard Music Awards in November.

It's the most wonderful time to show off Christmas spirit, and K-pop idols always understand the assignment -- with the biggest names in the industry putting their love for the holidays on display every year!!

Chae-won of LE SSERAFIM is always one of the first stars to post up in front of the tree when December rolls around ... with Lisa of BLACKPINK following suit with a cozy ensemble.

RM from BTS and Jackson Wang usually take a more model-esque route during the holidays ... electing for serious snaps whenever they enjoy the festivities.

NewJeans and aespa love to team up for group shots during X-mas ... just like Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé, who rocked iconic, matching Santa 'fits in years past.

And Blinks won't have to ask for much from St. Nick this year ... after the die-hard fanbase got their wish of keeping the group together following lengthy contract negotiations with YG Entertainment.

Minnie from (G)I-dle spends her special time with her loved ones ... including her bestie, Lisa, and fellow groupmate, Yuqi.

TWICE members Jeongyeon and Jihyo also teamed up for an iconic Christmas photoshoot this year ... and IVE's Yujin is all about the winter activities, too!!

Per usual, the members of Stray Kids take advantage of the holidays ... with Felix, Lee Know and Hyunjin always proving they're on the "nice" list -- even if they do have a song titled "Christmas EveL."

Es la época más maravillosa del año para demostrar tu espíritu navideño y los ídolos del K-pop siempre entienden la tarea, con algunas de las figuras más grandes de la industria mostrando su amor por las fiestas cada año.

Chaewon, de LE SSERAFIM, es siempre una de las primeras estrellas en ponerse delante del árbol cuando llega diciembre y Lisa, de BLACKPINK, hace lo propio con un acogedor conjunto.

RM de BTS y Jackson Wang suelen adoptar una actitud más propia de los modelos durante las fiestas y optan por fotos serias siempre que están disfrutando las festividades.

A NewJeans y aespa les encanta unirse para hacer fotos de grupo durante Navidad, como Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa y Rosé, que han lucido icónicos conjuntos de Papá Noel en años anteriores.

Y Blinks no tendrá que pedir mucho a San Nicolás este año, después de que su fanática y acérrima base de fans cumpliera su deseo de mantener al grupo unido después de largas negociaciones de contrato con YG Entertainment.

Minnie de (G)I-dle pasa su tiempo especial con sus seres queridos, incluyendo su mejor amiga Lisa y a su compañera de grupo Yuqi.

Las miembros de TWICE Jeongyeon y Jihyo también se unieron para una icónica sesión de fotos de Navidad este año, ¡¡e Yujin de IVE está a tope con las actividades de invierno!!

Como de costumbre, los miembros de Stray Kids aprovechan las fiestas, con Felix, Lee Know y Hyunjin siempre demostrando que están en la lista de los "simpáticos", incluso si tienen una canción titulada "Christmas EveL".

El nuevo grupo de K-pop BabyMonster debutará con una integrante menos. YG Entertainment acaba de anunciar que Ahyeon dejó la banda para centrarse en su bienestar.

La discográfica abordó la noticia en un comunicado de prensa el miércoles en el que dice: "Aunque nos entristece no poder presentar a Ahyeon como miembro de BabyMonster, tomamos esta decisión por el bien de la salud de la artista".

"No escatimaremos apoyo para que Ahyeon pueda recuperarse completamente y volver con buena salud".

Hubo especulaciones por meses de que la chica de 16 años iba a dejar el grupo, pero YG se mantuvo hermético sobre su estado hasta ahora.

BabyMonster, que ahora estará conformado por Asa, Chiquita, Haram, Rora, Pharita y Ruka, será el segundo grupo de chicas de YG desde el debut de BLACKPINK en agosto de 2016.

Ha habido una tonelada de bombo alrededor de la banda. El grupo ha cosechado millones de vistas en YouTube, a pesar de no haber lanzado ninguna canción original.

Las edades de las otras chicas oscilan entre los 14 y 21, y provienen de Corea, Tailandia y Japón.

New K-pop group BabyMonster will debut with one less member than expected -- YG Entertainment just announced Ahyeon has left the ensemble to focus on her well-being.

The label addressed the news in a press release Wednesday ... saying, "Although we are saddened to be unable to introduce Ahyeon as a member of BabyMonster, we made this decision for the sake of the artist's health."

"We will spare no support so that Ahyeon can recover fully and return in good health."

There was speculation 16-year-old Ahyeon was leaving the group for months ... but YG remained tight-lipped on her status up until now.

BM -- which now consists of Asa, Chiquita, Haram, Rora, Pharita and Ruka -- will be YG's first new girl group since BLACKPINK's debut in August 2016.

There's been a ton of hype surrounding BabyMonster ... the group has raked in millions of views on YouTube despite not releasing any original songs.

The remaining members' ages range from 14-21 ... and hail from Korea, Thailand and Japan.

Latto has a whole lot to celebrate after her track with Jung Kook broke a record for fastest to reach a billion streams on Spotify ... and she told us why she's HYPED about the big news.

We got Latto Wednesday at LAX and congratulated her on the huge accomplishment for "Seven" ... and the one word she used to sum up her reaction to it is "crazy."

Latto says the track's record-breaking success has made her really grateful. She choked up as she told us about recently losing a dear friend, and said she feels this Spotify record is a sign her late pal still has her back from the afterlife.

In terms of what's next, Latto is more than ready to collab with the BTS member on another hit -- saying she's even got something in the works that'd be perfect for Jung Kook.

She also gives a shoutout to his army of fans -- in the U.S. and abroad -- telling us they've been showing her nothing but love and support, and she's all for making them happy again.

Latto tiene mucho que celebrar después de que su canción con Jung Kook rompiera el récord de ser la más rápida en alcanzar los mil millones de streams en Spotify y nos contó lo que se siente vivir semejante éxito.

Nos encontramos a Latto el Miércoles en LAX y la felicitó por el enorme logro de "Seven" y la única palabra que utilizó para resumir su reacción a la misma es "loco".

Latto dice que el éxito de la canción la ha hecho sentirse muy agradecida. Se le heló la sangre al hablarnos de la reciente pérdida de un querido amigo y dijo que siente que este disco de Spotify es una señal de que su difunto amigo todavía la tiene de vuelta desde el más allá.

En cuanto a lo que está por venir, Latto está más que dispuesta a colaborar con el miembro de BTS en otro éxito, e incluso ha dicho que está preparando algo que sería perfecto para Jung Kook.

Ella también da un saludo a su ejército de fans en los EE.UU. y en el extranjero, diciéndonos que han estado mostrando nada más que amor y apoyo y ella esta con todas las ganas de hacerlos felices de nuevo.

K-pop star Moonbin, of the popular boy band Astro, has died.

Astro's label Fantagio shared the tragic news with fans Wednesday ... saying the singer "left us and became a star in the sky." The company says it's "deeply mourning" the shocking death alongside his family, droves of fans, and fellow artists.

Fantagio says the family will hold a private funeral with close family, friends, and colleagues.

An official cause of death has yet to be revealed, but South Korean police reportedly found him dead in his apartment in Gangnam-gu, Seoul after allegedly not showing for a recent rehearsal.

Fans of Moonbin know he started working as a model in 2004 when he was just a child ... then transitioned into acting, first grabbing a role in 2009 on the Korean drama "Boys over Flowers."

He then debuted with Astro in 2016 with 5 others -- MJ, Jinjin, Rocky, Cha Eun-woo, and Yoon San-ha. They went on to come out with some hits, including "Candy Sugar Pop" and "Baby." Rocky left the K-pop group in late February of this year.

Moonbin took a brief pause from the band in 2019 due to health-related reasons but made his return the following year. The group had a concert scheduled for mid-May, but that's reportedly been canceled.

He was only 25.